Colbert Elementary School, Colbert GA

Original Research by School Decision on Colbert Elementary School

Colbert Elementary School is a public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in a small city in Madison County, roughly a dozen miles northeast of Athens. The school sits near Colbert's compact downtown, in a community that is experiencing residential growth as families spread outward from the Athens area.

The school's enrollment is stable at a size typical for elementary schools in rural and exurban settings. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic profile of the families it serves. The student body is diverse, with white students making up the largest share, followed by meaningful populations of Hispanic and Black students, along with smaller numbers of Asian and multiracial students.

In terms of academic performance, state testing data from 2024-25 shows mixed results. In math, students perform at higher rates in the upper grades: fifth grade shows proficiency well above the third-grade level, with fourth grade in between. English language arts proficiency is consistently lower across all tested grades. Fifth-grade science proficiency sits just above the midpoint. These results suggest stronger foundational work in mathematics and science than in reading and writing, though proficiency in all subjects leaves room for growth across the elementary span.

The comparison universe for Colbert Elementary is limited because Madison County has only one district. State testing comparison metrics were not available for the school, so direct positioning against peer schools cannot be made.

The district has adopted i-Ready as its K-5 screener and personalized instruction platform beginning in the 2025-26 school year, which will change how students are identified for support and how progress is reported to families. At the same time, Madison County has held its school millage rate steady while property values rise, meaning families relocating to the area should expect their school tax bills to increase even without a rate change. The district is operating in a deficit budget to fund new school construction, a signal that budget pressures may intensify.

Colbert itself is a quiet, residential community with a historic downtown and active new home construction in the surrounding area. The city has modest walkability and civic amenities centered on a small downtown, with the broader county seat and services located in Danielsville a short drive away. Housing values in the ZIP code have climbed, and the area is marketed as a growing outer suburb of Athens.

A parent may want to look further into the school's specific intervention and enrichment programs, and how the rollout of i-Ready will shape day-to-day instruction and parent communication in the year ahead.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 344%

School 44% · District 54% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 55% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 51% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 40% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 39% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 42% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Science

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 14 pts above state median

Social studies

Grades 3-883%

School 83% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median

This schoolMadison County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income21%Higher-income63%42 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income61%31 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income73%36 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income29%Higher-income65%36 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income42%Higher-income74%32 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income62%Higher-income82%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income41%12 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income45%Higher-income68%23 pp gap